Really, with shotguns, it comes down to proven performers. Designs and contenders come and go but some models have real staying power and there's a reason for that. They work, and they work well.

In Autos, if you're wanting bullet proof reliability, there's really only one way to go and that's Benelli. If you don't want to spend the money then don't go auto. I've seen people own 1100/1187's that worked OK but I've also seen and shot with guys that couldn't get them to work worth a damn and had to dump lots of money into them and at the end of the day they could have just bought a garden variety M2 with rifle sights and had a better gun. That's not to say that other guns aren't nice, or that other manufacturers don't produce nice guns but when you see people who are knowledgeable and are concerned with having bulletproof reliability in an auto, most likely they've got a Benelli.

In Pump guns it's really about the 870 or the Mossberg 500/590 series. Sure there are others but those two have the lions share of the market for a reason. Of those two I can go either way between the 870 and the 590A1 although I'm not a huge fan of the base 500's. It comes down to ergonomics and what you plan to do with it. If you like a pistolgrip stock go 870. If you like the standard rifle style stock either will work well.

Either of those two pump guns will last the rest of your natural life with basic upkeep and either should fire well with anything you put through it. Both come with a huge variety of sights, stocks, tacticool goodies, etc.

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Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't...

I love Weatherby products and have an SA Upland Deluxe for trap and skeet, and it's sweet as sugar. But for a defensive shotgun, I have 2 870's. You can get anything and everything for the 870 to make it all kinds of "tactical". I don't know if anything crossfits with the Weatherby shotguns, never have tried.

The Weatherby is too fine a firearm for accessorizing for HD or being "tactical". Having a synthetic stock on a Weatherby to me is an abomination. Weatherby has always meant NICE.

The Weatherby is for babying, and keeping in the safe, until you need it for shooting skeet or hunting, both being activities where you can take care of it's appearance.

I'll eventually get a PA synthetic, but won't use it for HD. At the price they are asking, I just want one.

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The Revolutionary War generation gave us a republic. The WWII generation gave us a socialist democracy. The Gen-X generation is giving us Communism. Which do you think is the greatest?

WEST Texas has a good recommendation unlike those loons from EAST Texas.

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"Of every 100 men that go to battle 70 should not even be there, 20 are nothing but targets, 9 are true soldiers, and we are lucky to have them for they the battle make but ONE, one is a warrior, and HE will bring the others home." Hericlitus

After years of running a tricked out 870, I finally took the plunge for a Benelli M4 - dumped the silly pistol grip stock and fitted an extended mag - it's an awesome gun and more flexible in nearly all compromised firing positions, and probably more reliable than the pump (no short stroking issues under extreme stress)...Ohh the downside is that I could have two tricked out 870's for the price I paid for the Benelli...I don't regret spending the extra $ though.., and I picked up a Thunder Ranch mossberg, as it felt unnatural not to have an old school pump gun..

I vote for the 870P. I wish I would have gone this route instead of picking up my Express HD. There's NOTHING wrong with my Express but for the money, I'd rather have the police model.

I'm sorta on board. The Police models are nice but if you know what you're doing you can do all the same stuff to an Express easy enough. I got one of the Tactical ones, slicked up the action a bunch, I'm going to get the non-MIM extractor for it ($15) and then get the whole gun Cerakoted which I like quite a bit more than Parkerizing anyway.

I've got quite a bit of experience wrenching on a wide variety of guns so I could easily do the work on the 870 that Remington should have done. Most folks wouldn't know where to start most likely.

I don't mind the plastic trigger housing at all on the Express guns.

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Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't...

Of those two I can go either way between the 870 and the 590A1 although I'm not a huge fan of the base 500's. It comes down to ergonomics and what you plan to do with it. If you like a pistolgrip stock go 870. If you like the standard rifle style stock either will work well.

Either of those two pump guns will last the rest of your natural life with basic upkeep and either should fire well with anything you put through it. Both come with a huge variety of sights, stocks, tacticool goodies, etc.

Good point to think about before purchase. Another point for more advanced skill training in favor of the 870 is that a slug changeover in a combat (chamber) reload is easier, without having to expel a round out of the mag tube. In short, pull the forend halfway, quickly push the round in the mag tube back in, pull forend fully back, insert slug into chamber. No round from the mag tube lost on the slug changeover.

Really, with shotguns, it comes down to proven performers. Designs and contenders come and go but some models have real staying power and there's a reason for that. They work, and they work well.

In Autos, if you're wanting bullet proof reliability, there's really only one way to go and that's Benelli. If you don't want to spend the money then don't go auto. I've seen people own 1100/1187's that worked OK but I've also seen and shot with guys that couldn't get them to work worth a damn and had to dump lots of money into them and at the end of the day they could have just bought a garden variety M2 with rifle sights and had a better gun. That's not to say that other guns aren't nice, or that other manufacturers don't produce nice guns but when you see people who are knowledgeable and are concerned with having bulletproof reliability in an auto, most likely they've got a Benelli.

In Pump guns it's really about the 870 or the Mossberg 500/590 series. Sure there are others but those two have the lions share of the market for a reason. Of those two I can go either way between the 870 and the 590A1 although I'm not a huge fan of the base 500's. It comes down to ergonomics and what you plan to do with it. If you like a pistolgrip stock go 870. If you like the standard rifle style stock either will work well.

Either of those two pump guns will last the rest of your natural life with basic upkeep and either should fire well with anything you put through it. Both come with a huge variety of sights, stocks, tacticool goodies, etc.